


Eight Little Suns

by theladyofwords



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Original Child Character(s) - Freeform, Other, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 16:05:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9243248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyofwords/pseuds/theladyofwords
Summary: So many people I've seen headcanon that Percy and Vex would have a small army of daughters - but what if they had a small army of daughters and one son? Also, I personally headcanon that all de Rolos are named after family members so...[written before end of campaign one]





	1. The Eighth de Rolo

Vex'ahlia raised her eyebrow as Percival stared at the newborn in her arms. “Percival, this is our eighth child - for gods’ sake, what is the problem?” She stared at him in disbelief as he opened his mouth, only to close it. Mulling over what he wanted to say. “… _Percival_!” She wanted to reach out and smack his arm, but thankfully their eldest read her mind and did so instead, so she did not have to jostle the sleeping babe.

“Penelope!” Percival gasped as he looked at the young woman to his right. “Did you just smack me?”

“Figured someone needed to.” She smirked at him, pursing her lips and looking even more so like Vex'ahlia than she did most of the time. “Besides, mother wanted to, I could see it in her eyes.” Vex watched Percival flinch and offer her a sincere smile, albeit a small one.

“I was surprised, that’s all…” Vex wished she had all the energy that Penny did in that moment, rolling her eyes and sighing loudly.

“Surprised? You looked mortified…” She quipped up, earning a glare from Percival that Vex almost wanted to laugh at. Oh Vex loved her girls. She knew that if Percival had started their marriage with the chestnut hair he’d once had, these swotty little things would have turned it all white on their own.

“Penelope - _I_ … Go to your room.” He huffed and the young woman sighed before turning on the balls of her feet. 

“I’ll let the girls know that mother is turning in for the night. Please hurry up with a name though, I promised to run it into the city center for the townspeople…” Vex'ahlia watched her daughter’s retreating form.

“… She really needs to work on her subtlety.”

“Oh no, she’s quite good at it, she just enjoys riling you up. Most of our girls do.” Vex smiled fondly before leaning down to press a kiss on her newest child’s temple.

“To be fair, I was expecting another little girl - I wanted to name her for Pike…” She glanced up to see her husband rub where their eldest had smacked just a minute before.

“Ah yes, I believe you gave up when the twins came along.” She teased, thinking fondly of Elaina and Joanna and all the mischief they liked to cause in their father’s study - _setting fire to the curtains, destroying letters trying to find secret messages and thankfully ruining that ghastly rug Percival had been so fond of._

“Yes well… I was definitely not expecting a son after having seven daughters…” He admitted before offering the sleeping child a smile. “I suppose the gods would choose the one birth I wasn’t here for, hm?”

“Penelope was a good stand in, sweet girl - though I fear I’ve scarred her from the practice itself.” She hummed, causing him to chuckle.

“Yes well, I don’t think Penelope was planning on having children in the first place.” He admitted easing onto the edge of the bed and peering down at the babe.

“Oh, I do think Vesper has herself a suitor though.” Vex bit her tongue lightly to keep from laughing at Percy’s scrunched up nose.

“ _She’s fifteen_!”

“Sixteen, darling, remember you made her that jewelry box for her birthday…” She pointed out before laying her head back against the headboard a little more. She closed her eyes and listened to Percival huff in protest.

“Gods, they just keep growing up…”

“Well yes dear, they tend to do that don’t they?” She teased.

“And Veronica has her birthday next month…” Percy murmured softly.

“And then Whitney the month after.” She smirked as he cursed under his breath. “Oh and don’t forget - Keyleth turns ten this year.”

“Well, I’ll just have to enjoy this little guy as much as I can then… Perhaps he won’t make me as crazy as the others do…” Percival carefully took the sleeping infant from her arms and sighed. “Yes, I think we’ll get along just fine…”

_Blue eyes flew open, and everything was not fine._


	2. In a Name

Every five years the members of Vox Machina would reconvene with one another in Whitestone Castle - simply because between the two of them, Vex'ahlia or Percival refused to leave their children all at home alone without at least one of them present…

The last time they’d come together, Vex'ahlia had been pregnant still with the little boy who now clung to her skirts as she moved to check to make sure all the guestrooms were ready. Nearly five now, the chestnut haired boy seemed to be the most docile of her children. All the others by this age, had come into curious minds that led their feet - the twins, Elania and Johanna, had even snuck their way into the city - gods _Percival had been scared shit-less_. She hummed at the memory and hid her smile as a little heart shaped face peered up at her.

“Sweetheart, do you think this room is ready?” She asked the child, who quickly peered around her at the room.

“… The furniture is very small, but yes mama.” He blinked up at her with a sweet little smile that was contagious - as it caught on her own face.

“That’s because Uncle Scanlan is a gnome, dear. I reckon he’s just taller than you - by his next visit you’ll be much taller than him.” She told him, ruffling up his hair and earning an even brighter grin from him.

“Oh… and the room across the hall?” He looked towards the door behind them, as they were standing in the doorway of this room.

“Your Aunt Pike is a gnome as well, and one of the strongest people you’ll ever meet…” She watched the curiosity bloom on the child’s face, and instead of like her other children, he merely nodded and contemplated, much like his father often did. “I know what you’re thinking dear, and yes.” His blue eyes widened for a moment but he nodded fairly quickly. “Now then, how about you escort me to the main hall? Your aunts and uncles will be here shortly and I’m sure they’ll want to meet you little lord.”

“I can’t wait to meet them too.” He offered her his little hand, like the little gentleman he was, so serious in his duties unlike his sisters - though they did raise to the cause when necessary. 

“Who are you looking forward to meeting the most?” She asked as they started down the hall, her keeping her pace slow so his short legs didn’t have to race to keep up with her.

“Aunt Pike, of course.” He told her with a little pride in his voice, Vex'ahlia bit the inside of her cheek.

“Yes, dear, of course. Who else would little lord Pike want to meet?” She quipped back.

“Well… Uncle Grog sounds pretty cool…” The boy admitted and Vex let the laugh she’d been holding in roll out of her mouth.

“Your Uncle Vax will be so disappointed, Pike.”

“Papa says he needs to have kids of his own and stop corrupting his.” Vex'ahlia had to stop walking and brace a hand on a small table that sat by the stairway they were about to enter, as she howled laughing just loud enough to scare a few servants and earned a giant amused grin from her little boy, Pike.


	3. Short Biographies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to share little bios and give birth order.

**Penelope** was the most graceful of her siblings. She had her father’s pale skin and finely shaped cheekbones, and her mother’s black hair and brown eyes. Taken under her aunt Cassandra’s wing at a young age - Penelope knew the end and outs to court before she was ten. Subtly is a weapon she wields finely, well that and her fencing sword. Penelope has a rather large dog named Brussel who likes to follow her around. She is also a master of the lyre.

 **Veronica** was the sharpest of her siblings. She had her father’s family’s chestnut hair, and nearly took all the rest from her mother’s side. Her tongue was as sharp as any blade she owned - and she owned plenty, most of which were gifts from her uncle Vax'ildan (who made no secret to adore the girl). Veronica had a gift for languages, learning quite a few of them by the time she turned 15. It is not unusual for her to be taken with when one of her parents goes to a foreign land on a diplomatic trip, where her talents may prove to be useful.

 **Vesper** was the more classically beautiful of her siblings - her black hair was always immaculate. From the small point of her ear, and her sharp cheekbones that gave way to soft blue eyes, her face was gorgeous and she knew it. She also knew how powerful looks could be - status could be reinforced by what one wore. A soft smile, a fluttering of her eyelashes - all could win her a wish or two. Of course, many also only saw her for her beauty, and not the venom that could lie beneath. Vesper was adept in magic, evocation magic to be precise.

 **Elania** was the eldest of the de Rolos’ twin daughters, and had more elven blood within her than any of the others. Her ears were as long as her mother’s, while her twin’s were as short as their father’s. She and her twin were near perfect mixtures of their parents’ features. Elania has a fondness for wood-crafting. She enjoys creating moving pieces and puzzles, which are often gifted to her siblings. She also has a vast collection of books, her poetry books being the crown of her collection.

 **Johanna** was the youngest of the de Rolos’ twin daughters, and possesses next to no eleven blood. Her ears have no point to them what so ever, making her the only de Rolo child to have completely human ears. Johanna, like her elder sister Vesper, is magically adept - however it is not with arcane magic. Johanna has an affinity for plant magic, and like her twin, collects books - she however, enjoys folktales and legends more than anything.

 **Keyleth** was the light of her siblings. The lone blonde of the de Rolo family, Keyleth’s smile had not been inherited from her mother or father, but from the portrait in the family’s study that held her grandmother’s likeness. She was joy personified - always looking after her siblings, whether they were older or younger, and often bringing her parents treats as they worked on their projects. Keyleth had no use for any weapon other than a kitchen knife to divvy up sweets in the kitchen to share with whomever wanted some.

 **Whitney** was the quietest of her siblings. While she was not a professed beauty like many of her sisters could claim to be, she was always listening. She soaks in information like a sponge soaks in water. Whitney’s dark hair is left short, and she prefers muddy boots to pristine ballroom slippers. Whitney would much rather lose herself in the stables, than with her nose in a book. She, like her elder sister Veronica, has a fondness for small blades - however most of her collection is “borrowed” from Veronica’s.

 **Pike** was most often known for being the only son of House de Rolo, but he was also the brightest and well mannered of his siblings. Pike was a thinker like his father. He picked up many skills from all the highly skilled and learned women around him, but learned how to stand on his own. He is probably his mother’s favorite child, as much as she’d not care to admit it. The boy enjoys watching people do tasks and then trying to replicate them on his own later.


	4. A Glimpse of the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paragraph sized drabbles that hint at the futures of "The Eight Little Suns".

It was painful the way Johanna aged far quicker than any of her siblings, and how her twin sister Elania was the slowest to age. Vex'ahlia chose to ignore it, as best she could. In denial of how different her children's lives would be lived out despite all they shared. But it all became too hard to ignore when while visiting a small town on the other side of Tal'Dorei, a woman mistook Johanna as her mother, and not the other way around. As hard as it was to watch Percival age as he did. It was much harder watching your own child gray and wither before your own eyes.

* * *

 

Penelope never imagined she'd fall in love the way she did. Some small part of her always hoped her parents would bring back arranged marriages so she wouldn't have to worry about heartache. But she fell in love while visiting her Aunt Keyleth and Uncle Vax'ildan in their Ashari village. She fell in love with a woman with the greenest eyes and the most crooked smile she’d ever seen. A woman who could blossom flower buds with just the magic in her fingertips. Her name was Willow. And she was the woman Penelope gave up court and her title for, choosing to settle with the Ashari instead - much to her family’s amusement.

* * *

 

Vesper always thought she'd marry further up in the hierarchy of nobility, she never thought she'd fall in love with a title-less fool. But there she was, sighing over a man just out of boyhood, whose face was filthy, his boots secondhand, but his heart as gold as the necklace draped around her neck. The innocence in his eyes, and the excitement in his voice as he told her about his hopes and dreams nearly made her swoon alone. Vesper was quite sure no-one saw it coming - her running off and eloping with the poor boy from Stillben. Perhaps there was something in her blood that screamed a need for adventure, but it was an even bigger surprise when Vesper came home ten years later with her newly titled husband (and self), Sir Aylard (and Lady Vesper) of Mossgrove, through actions of their own.

* * *

 

Veronica, surprisingly enough, was the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to her grandfather, Syldor Vessar. On a diplomatic trip with her father, that had the Elven ambassador present as well, she not only impressed the target, but impressed her estranged grandfather as well. She was cool, cold and calculating and her knowledge of languages and customs from around the globe coming in handy as the lord of the city was quite knowledgeable in these things as well. Lord Percival could only hide his smirk as he watched his second oldest child give her grandfather a haughty look that only an elf could typically pull off, as if the man was beneath her. She never figured out who had gifted her the book on Elven dialects that was rare as books came - but Percival knew, holding his tongue on the matter.

* * *

 

Keyleth loved her family. She really did. But she watched as one by one they came into their own. She watched Johanna age like their cousins by Aunt Cassandra, and move on to bigger and better things far quicker than any of the others. Her Human lord of a husband taking her far away to another city to raise little ones. She watched Penelope give up all she knew for happiness with the Ashari. She watched Veronica speak in tongues she didn't even know existed, and how she fell in love with different foreign men and women over the years until she met her match with a Tiefling merchant. She watched Vesper run off with a poor boy with bright eyes, only to come home with a knight in shining (but rather dented) armor. 

She watched Elania open her own woodcarving shop, where she sold toys, knick-knacks and tools for fair prices. She watched Whitney breed horses that brought Whitestone more fame and glory, and breed little Elven babes of her own, surprisingly (who would have thought an Elven man would fall in love with a wild woman like Whit?). And she watched Pike, the youngest of them all, become a man befitting of his title and station. But she stayed in Whitestone, with no taste of adventure of her own. 

She stayed in Whitestone, serving her father and later brother, as head of the kitchens. She stayed in Whitestone, raising a bastard son (named for his grandfather who loved the boy more than anything) without a man she could have had a future with, but honestly didn't want to (he had offered out of decency). But just because her life seemed mundane didn't mean it was. She was perfectly content with her life the way it was, thank you very much.


End file.
